


Allura Week

by AutisticWriter



Series: Platonic Voltron Month [17]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura Week 2017, Angst, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Allura (Voltron), Blue Paladin Allura (Voltron), Canonical Character Death, During Canon, Family, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Homesickness, Loss, Pink - Freeform, Platonic VLD Month 2017, Pre-Canon, Prompt Fill, Silly, Stimming, Team as Family, altea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-17 17:37:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12370668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: A collection of drabbles and ficlets written for Allura week.Day 1 - Altea/Juniberries/PinkDay 2 - Loss/TraumaDay 3 - Paladin/PrincessDay 4 - Red/Blue/BlackDay 5 - Magic/StrengthDay 6 - Bonding/GrowthDay 7 - Happiness/SillinessDay 8 - Diplomacy/Intelligence





	1. Pink

“We wear pink to honour the fallen,” her father once said, fastening a pink ribbon to Allura’s hair.

She looked her father up and down, taking in his pink robes. She was very young (her mother had only just passed away), and so extremely inquisitive. “Why?”

“As a mark of respect,” he said, “to the people who have lost their lives. To show that we remember them.”

That conversation took place over 10000 years ago, but Allura remembers it well.

Which is why she puts on her pink Paladin armour and goes to fight Zarkon in memory of her father.


	2. Loss

Although she knows it to be true, there are still times when Allura can’t quite accept what happened to Altea. It often hits her when she is most vulnerable, such as when she first wakes up in the morning. And for a few ticks, she will think that she is back on her home planet, in her home, and going to spend the day with her father and everyone else she knew and loved. But then…

But then she remembers, and everything seems to crumble around her. Because, of course, her planet is gone and so is her family… and her father. And remembering all of this somehow manages to hurt almost as much as it did the first time she found out what had happened.

And she hates it so much.

\---

There are so many things she misses about Altea: the people, the scenery, even the weather. But she misses her father most of all. And it particularly pains Allura to know that they never got to properly say goodbye.

She remembers the moment she first awoke from ten thousand years of cryogenic sleep. She was dazed and disoriented, and promptly fell over, only avoiding hitting the floor because Lance caught her. But Coran was fully conscious when he awoke, fully prepared to fight the group of humans standing before them. Why was it that she was so sleepy but Coran was wide awake? That confused her for a long time.

But she understands now. Her father knocked her out to save her the fear and confusion of the last few moments they had before the attack, but he didn’t knock out Coran. Maybe he was too quick, or maybe Father didn’t want to. But, either way, Coran was wide awake when he was frozen along with Allura, and she knows it was because Coran and Father both wanted to make sure she would be protected during the time it took her to regain consciousness. Coran put himself through a terrifying ordeal (being awake during the cryogenic procedure is apparently very uncomfortable and scary) just to make sure she would be safe.

She often wonders what they spoke about in the time after Allura was knocked out but before Coran was put into one of the pods. Did they talk about Altea? Did they talk about Allura? Did they talk about how Father realised how Allura was actually right, that they should have tried to fight? But she will never know, because Coran won’t talk about it; every time Allura brings it up, his eyes fill with tears. And she doesn’t want to make him cry.

Sometimes, part of Allura feels jealous of Coran, that he got to say goodbye to Father and she never did. She knows it is petty and ridiculous, but she just can’t help it. She misses her father so much.

If only they could have said goodbye.

\---

Her fellow Paladins miss Earth almost as much as Allura misses Altea. They often talk about their home planet, their voices trembling as they fight back tears at the thoughts of their families and friends and everything about Earth that they miss.

Allura has never been very good at comforting people (her autistic social skills don’t make it easy for her to comfort others), but she tries her best to reassure them when they get homesick. Because she knows how it feels to feel so alone.

But at least they may, one day, be able to return to Earth. Allura will never be able to return to Altea.

Because Altea is gone forever.

And she misses it so much.


	3. Princess

“I am Princess Allura of Altea.”

Those words come to her almost as naturally as breathing. She says them every time they meet a new group of rebels, or they help free another planet from Galra rule, or when she is trying to reason with Galra soldiers, hoping the authority in her title might intimidate them or something.

She says those words so much, but she doesn’t like to think about what they mean. Because that means thinking about Altea and her people and her father, and Allura can’t bring herself to think about those memories. They hurt too much.


	4. Red/Blue/Black

Red

Her father piloted the Red Lion. He was quite literally Zarkon’s right hand man. Alfor was Red’s first Paladin, and Allura was so proud when she first saw him flying the Red Lion.

So when Allura first met Keith, it was a bit of a shock to realise he was the new Red Paladin. After all, he was nothing like her father. But it made sense, because Keith was just as volatile and difficult to befriend as his Lion. It seemed a strange match, but Keith and Red definitely fitted well together.

But when Shiro disappeared and the Black Lion chose Keith as its new Paladin, Red no longer had a pilot. They all had to try out Red to see who might replace Keith – and even Allura and Coran tried.

And Allura knows she wasn’t the only the only one hurting after Red refused the pair of them. Alfor was Coran’s best friend back when they were young, and Allura was there to witness Coran’s distress when he wasn’t picked as a Paladin of Voltron (“But I’m your closest friend,” Coran said, and he was almost crying, “We do everything together. Why won’t the Lions let me join Voltron?”), so it hurt him to be rejected all over again. And Allura just wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, to pilot the Lion he once flew back before everything went wrong.

They just wanted to do Alfor proud. But the Lion didn’t choose them, so they didn’t get the chance.

\---

Black

Allura never wanted to pilot the Black Lion (it reminded her too much of Zarkon, and she didn’t like to think about replacing Shiro), but the idea came up during one of their heated Team Meetings.

“I don’t want to be the Black Paladin,” Keith said, his knees tucked up to his chest. “That’s Shiro’s job. And I’m not a leader.” He sighed. “Why couldn’t the Lion have picked Allura?”

Allura stared at him, slightly shocked. “What do you mean, Keith?”

“I mean, if any of us are leaders, it’s you,” he said. “You organise everything and give us orders and are brilliant at keeping our team in check. Me on the other hand…”

“You’re a lone wolf?” Lance suggested, for once not winding Keith up.

Keith sighed again. “Exactly.”

Allura was stunned by his words, but she knew Keith was trying to compliment her. And she also knew that Keith missed Shiro. And she did too.

\---

Blue

It was a shock when the Blue Lion chose her, but it was the best kind of shock. Allura sat inside the Blue Lion, holding the controls and feeling the Lion respond to her presence, just like it did for its last two Paladins.

The screens were all lit up, the Blue Lion prepared to do whatever Allura requested of it. But she didn’t know how to pilot Blue, and climbed out of her Lion (it felt strange to refer to Blue as ‘her Lion’) before she had a chance to accidentally damage anything.

“She’s chosen you, Allura!” Lance cried. He always used she/her pronouns for the Blue Lion, something Allura ended up making a habit of herself.

And Allura knew he was right. She was Blue’s new Paladin!

It wasn’t the Lion she thought would choose her, but Allura was a Paladin. She was a Paladin of Voltron! She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this proud.

And Allura let the others hug and congratulate her, and she just felt so happy. She finally felt like she was following in her father’s footsteps.

Later that day, she walked into the hanger where the Blue Lion lived. And Allura just stared up at the Lion – her Lion – still amazed that this had happened.

 _I hope I can make you proud, Father,_ she thought, and she let her hands flap with happiness.


	5. Strength

She often feels weak, but Allura knows she is strong. She is only a teenager, but she is a Paladin of Voltron and pilots the Castle of the Lions and basically organises all of their battles and missions and everything in the constant fight against the Galra. She does so much, and so many people rely on her.

She knows all of this, but Allura sometimes needs a reminder. Because the pressure is sometimes too much for her, and she has a shutdown and cries and grieves for her father, and she wonders how she can be the same person who is so strong and in control of everything. And it is at times like these when she needs support, and she usually gets it.

Either the Mice play charades or other silly games to help cheer her up, or she sits in her Lion and Blue connects with her and she remembers how strong her bond with her Lion is, or Coran gives her a hug and sits with her and talks about Altea and her father, or the other Paladins are extra cheerful and tell her how much they appreciate everything she does for them. But whatever it is, the support always helps so much.

It helps Allura remember how strong she really is, and shows her how strong her bonds with those around her are as well. And she is always eternally grateful that she has such a supportive team.


	6. Bonding

Allura loves to spend time with her Space Family (the name was Lance’s idea). She loves to bond with them, to laugh with them, to spend time with her family and just act like the teenager she is meant to be.

She loves spending time with the Paladins, all of them so wonderful in their own ways. Lance is so silly but also so protective of her, Keith is socially awkward but surprisingly friendly when you get to know him, Pidge is like a little sister to her and so kind and clever and friendly, Hunk is so kind and considerate and helpful in every way, and Shiro is strong and protective and a perfect team leader.

She loves spending time with Coran, who is basically her second father. He looks after her, helping her with meltdowns and sensory issues and everything that comes with being autistic, and makes sure that nothing bad ever happens to her. And he’s so silly, always managing to put a smile on her face no matter what.

She loves spending time with her Mice, her constant companions with whom she shares a strong connection. They follow her around the Castle, always keeping her company, and they are brilliant at making her laugh with silly games like charades, and their silly battles with Coran never fail to make her laugh.

And she loves spending time with Shay, who she can honestly say is the best friend she has ever had. They have so much in common, and support each other when they are sad or worried. And Allura is always so happy when they travel to the Balmera, because she knows that means she can see Shay again.

She loves them all. She loves bonding with them and supporting them and spending time with them all. And, when she feels sad about Altea and her father, she can guarantee that her Space Family is always there to help her feel better.


	7. Happiness

Allura really does love her Space Family. They are all so kind and friendly and quirky in their own ways, and they never fail to cheer her up or make her feel accepted. Whether it’s through telling jokes or reassurance or acts of kindness or presents or solidarity or anything like that, Coran, Pidge, Keith, Lance, Hunk and Shiro always manage to make her feel better.

She just feels so content when she is with them all. In fact, for the first time since she woke up from ten thousand years of sleep, Allura can honestly say she is happy.


	8. Diplomacy

Allura is very much a diplomat in its traditional sense (she is rather good at making formal talks to leaders of planets recently freed from the Galra; at least, that’s what Coran says), but she also ends up using her diplomatic skills to delegate petty squabbles inside the Castle of Lions. Because if there is one thing better that her fellow Paladins do better than forming Voltron, it is bickering.

They are brilliant at it, and not a day goes by when Allura doesn’t have to dissolve a squabble between two or more of the other Paladins, only to find them bickering about the most pathetic of things. such a yesterday, when Pidge and Hunk where having what she thought was an argument, but it turned out to be a friendly ‘argument’ about who was better at making Lance laugh (it turned out that they both think the other is best).

And Allura finds it both infuriating and funny. Because they are all so silly, but they are entitled to be. Just like her, the four youngest Paladins are just teenagers, thrust into a grown up world far too quickly. And Shiro and Coran are also entitled to be silly, given that they are struggling with PTSD and grief respectively, and they often need a laugh to let themselves relax.

But she just wishes they weren’t all so good at making their squabbles look so real, because it would save her a lot of time. But she also hopes that they never stop bickering, because Allura loves how good her Space Family are at helping her let her hair down, to use an Earth expression.

Because, behind all the formality and diplomacy, she is just a teenage girl. And they are all so good at helping her get to know her silly side. And she does like her silly side. And she likes her Space Family too, ever so much.


End file.
